Items tagged with pixel
Pixel users have taken to Twitter in recent days to report some serious issues they have encountered since Android 12 rolled out. This news comes as Google is set to begin shipping its flagship Pixel 6 and 6 Pro on October 28th. Pixel owners took to social media and Google Support forums to find out if other owners were experiencing issues as well. The issues reported ranged from touch haptics no longer working and animations running slower, to apps randomly crashing. Pixel problems were not limited to a specific model. Google did begin responding to some Twitter posts with a fix for the touch haptics issue for one owner. Made By Google directed the owner of a Pixel 4a to try a soft reboot by...
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Google’s flagship Pixel 6 and 6 Pro may be more affordable than previously reported, according to a recent post on Twitter. This should come as amazing news to Pixel fans awaiting the release of the 6 and 6 Pro with Google’s new Tensor chip, it's first home-brewed SoC for mobile phones. Google is set to reveal all the remaining details of its upcoming Pixel 6 and 6 Pro tomorrow, October 19, during as scheduled event. Earlier reports had hinted that the phones' pricing was going to be more in line with other competitor’s flagship smartphones. The rumored pricing had the Pixel 6 starting at $749 and the Pixel 6 Pro at $1,049. However, a leak on Twitter tells a slightly different...
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Android users, specifically Google Pixel users, may soon have a way to purchase a Pixel 6 or Pixel 6 Pro in a manner much like Apple One. In a new retail leak, the existence of a so-called Pixel Pass service has emerged. Unlike Apple One, though, this bundle will presumably include a Pixel 6 phone, in addition to various subscriptions services. The services that may be included in the Pixel Pass are Google One, Play Pass, YouTube Premium or YouTube Music, and Google Fi connectivity. These are all purportedly going to be bundled with either a Pixel 6 or Pixel 6 Pro handset. Pricing is still a mystery but is most likely going to be a US offering for now. Google Fi needs to be activated in the US,...
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Google announced this week that Android 12 has been released to the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). This announcement comes after Google championed that over 225,000 people participated during the developer/beta phase to submit nearly 50,000 bug reports to help polish the mobile operating system before release. Although Android 12 has is now available under the AOSP, it will officially roll out to Google Pixel phones in the next few weeks. Samsung Galaxy, OnePlus, Oppo, Realme, Tecno, Vivo, and Xiaomi devices will receive the update later this year. Android 12 comes with an updated UI, and users can expect to see refreshed app widgets that make them more useful, beautiful,...
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After weeks of leaks and rumors, and a mere ten months since the original's launch, Google just revised its mid-range Pixel 4a 5G and lowered the price by $50. Behold the slightly larger and heavier Pixel 5a ($449), which bumps the display size from 6.2 to 6.34 inches, increases the battery capacity from 3,885 to 4680mAh, swaps the plastic body for a metal shell, and adds water resistance. The Pixel 4a 5G was arguably Google's best phone of 2020, striking the perfect balance between cost and specs. We're big fans, so there's nothing wrong with an update and price drop. In all, the Pixel 5a inherits its predecessor's overall design and layout, mid-range Snapdragon 765G SoC, and excellent camera...
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Google introduced Adaptive Charging in Android 11 for Pixel smartphones with the December Pixel Feature Drop, but it had several limitations and restrictions. For starters, Adaptive Charging was introduced to help preserve your battery health by preventing the phone from quickly reaching and staying at 100 percent charge. To enable Adaptive Charging, your phone must be placed on a charger after 9 pm, and an alarm must be set between the hours of 5 am and 10 am. In theory, Android 11 uses artificial intelligence to slowly charge your battery so that it would reach 100 percent just before your alarm goes off in the morning. However, in practice, many Pixel owners found that their battery was charging...
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Google's Pixel 4 family of smartphones is still quite capable nearly two years after they originally launched. The Pixel 4 initially launched with a $799 price tag, but you can now get the smartphone for half that price at Amazon and B&H Photo. The base Pixel 4 with 64GB of internal storage (unlocked) is now ringing up at $399.99 at Amazon and B&H Photo in Just Black. If you prefer the Oh So Orange color, B&H Photo also sells the 64GB version for $399.99. If you want the 128GB version in Just Black, you can get it from B&H Photo for $429.99. Google Pixel 4 64GB Just Black (Unlocked) $399.99 @ Amazon Google Pixel 4 64GB Just Black (Unlocked) $399.99 @ B&H Photo Google Pixel...
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Though it may be a little late, Google’s security update for the Pixel 3 through 5 is finally here. This update also brings several new features which may have been worth the wait. Between locked photo folders and astrophotography time-lapses, there is a lot here, so let us dive in... Space Photos and Videos Taking photos of the night sky can be difficult at best with most phones, but the Pixel’s astrophotography mode allows users to take beautiful night photos. Now, Google claims this is only getting better as Pixel 4 and newer device owners can “now create videos of the stars moving across the sky all during the same exposure.” When taking a photo in Night Sight, both...
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When Google launched the Pixel 5 last year as its "flagship" Android smartphone, it was a bit disappointing on the specs front. After all, the smartphone debuted with a mid-range Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G SoC instead of the Snapdragon 865/865+ found in the competition. It also lacked features that many expect in flagships, like an in-display fingerprint reader and copious amounts of RAM. However, Google is reportedly looking to make a splash with its next-generation flagship Pixel smartphone. According to a new report, there will be a Pixel 6 and a larger Pixel 6 Pro. There isn't anything radical here from the front as we see a large display with tiny bezels all-around along with a center-mounted...
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From the beginning of the Pixel program, Google's phones have always run on Qualcomm Snapdragon mobile platform silicon. In fact, you'd have to go all the way back to 2011's Galaxy Nexus, which ran on a Texas Instruments OMAP 4460 to find a Google phone that didn't have some form of Snapdragon inside. While most Pixel phones used Qualcomm's powerful top-end chips over the years, the Pixel 5 (our full review) dropped down to the Snapdragon 735G for 5G connectivity and midrange performance. If rumors are true, however, this fall could mark the start of something entirely new for the company: custom Arm-based systems on a chip (SoC) powerful Google's next Pixel flagship. A year ago, rumors...
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When the Pixel 5 launched, the Google Camera app was updated with a slick redesign. Now, that redesign is starting to filter down to older devices with Google Camera version 8.1. This means that all Pixel devices dating back to the Pixel 2 will gain access to the app that Pixel 5 owners have been enjoying over the last month. The Google Camera app redesign that came with the flagship Android from Google reorganized the app's features and added some other new features for making photo and video taking easier. Previously, the 8.0 update was exclusive to the Pixel 5, and it could not be sideloaded to other Pixel devices without a device reset. Update 8.1, on the other hand, according to 9to5Google,...
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On this episode of HotHardware's Two And A Half Geeks podcast, we'll be talking up AMD's recently announced Zen 3-based Ryzen 5000 series processors, Google's new Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5 Android smartphones, the latest 5G Apple iPhones, a vintage eMachines system reborn with Ryzen and Radeon firepower and details of our EK Fluid Gaming PC giveaway, which is winding down... Show Notes: 05:08 - Apple Unveils 5.4-Inch iPhone 12 mini Starting At $699, iPhone 12 Pro Rocks LIDAR And Dolby Vision HDR Video Capture 14:09 - Google Pixel 4a 5G Review: Big Screen, Great Camera And Value 23:12 - Rage Against The eMachine: A Ryzen And Radeon Retro Revival 29:46 - AMD Unveils Ryzen 5000 Series With Up...
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Don’t let the Pixel 4a 5G’s name fool you into thinking this device is the same as the Pixel 4a that was released back in August, with the sole addition of 5G support. Although the branding may be somewhat quizzical, the Pixel 4a 5G is a completely new device, with a larger form factor (it’s actually bigger than the Pixel 5), newer processing platform, additional rear camera, and a few other bells and whistles. The new Pixel 4a 5G does look nearly identical to the “older” Pixel 4a, but that is by design. Google has embraced an overall aesthetic with its Pixel devices that’s distinctly similar across all its devices from the last couple of generations. Depending...
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Google’s Pixel phones are well known for their superb cameras, timely updates, and unique features (Call Screen, Now Playing, etc...) But the company’s handset strategy -- and its lineup -- is difficult to decipher. It’s like Google is beating its own drum, blissfully (or purposefully) unaware of the market. On one side, you have the Pixel flagships, which are tough sells due to their relatively high prices, lackluster specs in light of competitive offerings, and other compromises (like middling battery life). For example, there was the Pixel 3 XL, with its massive notch and sparse 4GB of RAM, and there’s the Pixel 4 and 4 XL with their top-heavy bezel, missing ultrawide...
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Android fans who want to try the next big release for the operating system can currently enroll in the Android 11 Beta program if you're using a Pixel smartphone. Google says the Android Beta for Pixel program offers a simple way to try pre-release versions of Android to check out new features. The program also allows users to provide feedback to Google about the operating system before its launch. Once users register their device, they will automatically receive updates from the latest beta version of the OS. Supported devices for the Android Beta for Pixel program include: Pixel 2 Pixel 2 XL Pixel 3 Pixel 3 XL Pixel 3a Pixel 3a XL Pixel 4 Pixel 4 XL Google points out that users on eligible...
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In a potential move that could shake things up in the mobile space, Google might be taking a page from Apple by designing its own system-on-chip (SoC) hardware for future Pixel smartphones and lower end Chromebook devices. If that turns out to be the case, it would be disappointing news for Qualcomm, and good news for Samsung. Google has traditionally leaned on Qualcomm to power its smartphones. For example, the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL wield a Snapdragon 855 processor, while the previous generation Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL both touted a Snapdragon 845 SoC. The same is true of the upcoming Pixel 4a and Pixel 4a XL—they are rumored to run on a Snapdragon 730 chip. By shifting design chores in-house,...
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Call recording can be a very useful tool in a variety of situations. Unfortunately, it is currently not a feature available in the Google Phone app. However, keen-eyed developers recently dug into the code of the Google Phone app and uncovered code for call recording. Google removed its own native call recording feature with Android 6 Marshmallow. Developers were able to provide users with an alternative for a little while, but Google got rid of that capability with Android 9 Pie. Pixel and Android One users can record screened calls, but have needed to find ways to record their other phone call conversations. Google has yet to provide an official tool. However, call recording appears to...
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Without question, Google's Pixel 4 XL has been the most leaked smartphone of 2019 prior to its official launch. Heck, even Google teased the device and a key feature or two along the way, so it goes without saying, the hype was big for this fourth generation Pixel. Google tries to set the bar for Android ecosystem partners with respect to industrial design and new enabling technologies with its Pixel phones. And in fact, the new Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL bring with them a couple of firsts for made by Google devices, specifically a 90Hz display and wireless charging. The premise is that hopefully these new features are "done right" so to speak, or at least that the technology has matured enough to...
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Google's original Pixel smartphone has enjoyed an epic run when it comes to major operating system and security updates, but the end of the road is finally in sight. Starting with November's monthly rollout of Android security updates, the Pixel is being abandoned by Google. The Pixel has been supported for a remarkably long time -- at least for an Android device -- since its original release back in October 2016. That's one of the benefits of going with Google's hardware in the Android ecosystem, and it's rare to find continual support for 3-year-old devices from its OEM partners. In fact, Google even allowed first-generation Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones to upgrade to the current...
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It appears that the rumors swirling around the web yesterday were correct: Android 10 has just been released today for Google's first-party Pixel smartphones (Pixel, Pixel 2, Pixel 3, Pixel 3a families). This latest version of Google's mobile operating system was previously known as Android Q, and we were expecting it to be named after so sweet delicious treat like its predecessors. However, Google confirmed late last month that it was simply going with the Android 10 nomenclature. Android 10 isn't exactly a huge rethink of the most popular operating system in the world, but it does bring with it a wealth of improvements and refinements that make it easier to live with on a daily basis....
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A court has approved Google's Pixel and Pixel XL smartphone settlement. The class-action lawsuit alleged that Google knowingly sold devices with defective microphones. Owners of those devices are eligible for cash reimbursement in the settlement, but there a few conditions Pixel owners must meet with the most important being that they purchased the Pixel or Pixel XL before January 7th, 2017. The biggest payout possible in the settlement is up to $500, and to get that much from the $7.25 million settlement you must be able to document your microphone woes with the Pixel devices. All owners of the Pixel or Pixel XL that purchased before the January 7th, 2017 deadline are eligible for up to $20....
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For developers and enthusiasts looking to get an early taste of the next version of Google’s Android operating system, the release of new betas is always a highly-anticipated event. And while there's always the promise of cool new features and performance enhancements, there's always the possibility that things could go wrong with this early software -- after all, it is still in beta. Such is the case with Android Q Beta 4, which first landed earlier this week. Almost immediately, Pixel owners began complaining about problems with the over-the-air (OTA) update. Many users said that the Beta 4 update failed to install and, in some cases, put them into reboot hell. Others were cast...
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